


A Bunch of Hocus Pocus

by BigBadLittleRed



Category: Hocus Pocus (1993), Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Brenner and Frasier are evil as usual, Eleven goes by Elle and she's Hopper's adopted daughter, Jonathan is Binx, M/M, Magic, hocus pocus au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-01-25 21:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12541724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigBadLittleRed/pseuds/BigBadLittleRed
Summary: Three hundred years after the disappearance of Jonathan Byers and the death of Will Byers, a group of kids and their teenaged chaperones inadvertently resurrect two sorcerers that were burned at the stake for their crimes. Now it's up to Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler, her younger brother and his friends, to send them back to hell. Along with a little help from a talking cat and a ghost boy, of course.





	1. The Origin

October, 1683

 

He wakes with a gasp, the early morning sunlight already streaming through his bedroom window. There was a vague recollection of some awful dream that left his heart galloping in his chest like a racing horse. He sits up slowly, squinting against the sunlight and turning his head towards the other bed beside his own, finding it oddly empty.

 

"Will?" Jonathan calls out in confusion, pulling himself from bed and quickly putting on his trousers. He steps from their room, down the rickety old hallway and out the front door with a loud moaning creak of the wooden panel, which swings shut behind him as he pads out onto the cool dirt ground. "Will!" He calls, stepping away from the house and towards the oak where a young man from his village stands leering out at the trees.

 

"Isaiah," He calls out, the elder looking back to him with a worried expression. "Has thou seen my brother?" He asks as he approaches hurriedly, the other shaking his head and stretching his arm out towards the woods in the distance. There is the sound of a flute in the air, something sweet and melodious.

 

"Nay, but see... He conjures." He says, voice a haunting whisper as Jonathan lays eyes on the pillar of lavender smoke floating into the sky like a beacon of evil. He takes off in a sprint through the village, towards the edge of the field, Isaiah rushing to his side. Jonathan's gaze focuses at the sight of movement in the fields, observing a tall cloaked figure being followed closely by a familiar smaller one, his breath catches in his throat.

 

"William." He says with fear, and Isaiah steps closer to him with a frown.

 

"He's a goner," He insists, and Jonathan feels a fierce sense of rage and courage rush through him.

 

"Not yet," He says certainly, grabbing the elder by the shoulder. "Wake my mother, summon the elders! Go!" He takes off into the field, racing at top speed towards the tree line where there lay a cottage that nobody dares go near. The man who inhabits the hovel just inside the woods is the devil's right hand man, a man of witchcraft and sorcery. Jonathan won't sit idly by and allow his darling little brother to suffer at such horrid hands.

 

He reaches the edge of the trees and trips, tumbling down a hill through the leaves and landing near a tree. Jonathan quickly rights himself and watches as Will is tugged through the door and the wooden panel creaks shut in chorus to the sound of a sinister laugh. He hurries to his feet and runs towards the side of the cottage, seeking out anywhere he can get a glimpse of what might be conspiring within the house.

 

The nearest window is shut, and he gently pulls at the wooden panel to peek his head up and over the sill. The sight that greets him makes his stomach churn, he grips sweaty hands onto the sill and blinks rapidly as the man in the cloak saunters about the room grabbing ingredients and tossing them in a cauldron precisely. Will is seated in a chair near the middle of the room, posture unnaturally straight and body still. The young boy looks dazed, eyes straight forward and almost on his elder brother, yet focused on something far away from this place.

 

"My boy, you get the honor of being the first to test my theory." The man says, swirling a large stick in the cauldron, pulling down his hood. His face is rather old, hair faded and gray, Jonathan had only seen him once before. Other than the name of devil's right hand man, he goes by Brenner.

 

Jonathan waves his hand, attempting to get the young boy's attention without alerting Brenner. Will doesn't even flinch, but his fingers knock against the wooden panel slightly and it creaks, the man turns and Jonathan ducks his head as fast as possible. Feet storm over to the window, he presses himself to the wall and holds his breath.

 

"These woods are alive with many spirits," The man says idly before shutting the window once more.

 

Jonathan sighs in relief and then scurries around the side of the building to where there's a wheel being turned by the force of the water on it, just above it rests another window. He climbs up on the wheel, trying to keep a firm hold so that he doesn't slip from the slick wood. He slips through the window and crouches down low, creeping as quietly as possible across the loft to peer over the edge down below.

 

"There you are my child," The man is leaned over the young boy, obscuring Jonathan's vision, the large stick in his hand. When he leans back, Will's body seems to almost glow as the substance does from the cauldron. "Perfect," He hisses, and Jonathan's body tightens up. "Connie, bring me my book." He insists, and a woman comes traipsing from underneath the loft.

 

"Here, sir." She too is an older woman, hair fading from gold into gray, hands and face wrinkled. Her head tilts slightly and she turns, Jonathan launches himself down onto the ground floor.

 

"What are you doing here?!" Brenner snarls as Jonathan scrambles over to the cauldron, pressing his fingers to the hot stone and pushing hard. "Get him!" The man insists, Connie comes racing over and tries to get close, he pushes the cauldron against her and the liquid spills out onto the floor. The woman screams in frustration and stumbles back against the wall, a scowl on her face.

 

"Will!" Jonathan shouts, trying to race over to the chair. He reaches his arms out and suddenly his feet can't touch the ground, he lets out a startled shout as he's thrown by some invisible force into the wall roughly.

 

"Let's get on with it," He hears faintly as he struggles to regain his wits, head spinning and body aching. He turns over onto his stomach at the sound of chanting, and manages to look up to find Brenner and Connie standing over the chair his brother was sat in.

 

"See, see now!" Brenner turns, looking a third of his age as he was moments ago, Jonathan's eyes widen. "It worked!" He cheers with a grin, and Connie turns around to reveal she herself has lost years on her appearance. "We shall be young forever, Constance." The man laughs.

 

"We're gorgeous!" The woman cries with a smile, touching her now smooth face. Jonathan catches sight of Will, now slouched in his seat with hair streaked white as if the life has been taken from his small frail being. Tears burn in Jonathan's eyes, he pulls himself to his feet and grips a nearby wooden post.

 

"There is nothing in this world that will make thee beautiful, it matters not how you look. Your souls are condemned, vile sorcerers!" He sneers, earning their focus.

 

"We could go again," Connie suggests with a glance over at Brenner, who shakes his head slowly.

 

"Nay, for disrupting he shall suffer." He holds out his hand, whistles sharply, and a book flies to his hand. He flips it open, Jonathan watches with wary eyes as the pages turn on their own accord. "His punishment shall not be to die, but to live forever with his guilt." He smiles, rotted teeth gleaming.

 

"As what, sir?" Connie glances over his shoulder at the book, the man shuts the book and tucks it under his arm. He thrusts out his hand, fingers outstretched, the sweat on Jonathan's head beads down his temple.

 

"This being must suffer the consequences of his crime, shift him and keep him as such for all of time. The guilt he shall bear until the world is dead, have him sprout fur from his toes to his head." Jonathan feels a strange tingling start up in his body, like the feeling when a limb has fallen asleep. "Familiar shapes fill my mind but one is true, black as night. Take him now before my sight, I ask of thee master of blight!" He drops down onto his knees, pain curling through his stomach and spreading outwards like a hot flame.

 

The man above him laughs as Jonathan screams in agony, his vision fades as he collapses fully.

 

-

 

The warlock and witch are caught, tied up to a pyre together with their arms strained backwards. Joyce Byers stands nearby, tears on her face but eyes hard and stoic, one of her sons pulled from the cottage dead and the other having vanished into thin air.

 

"Martin Brenner?" The local pastor demands, his voice stern.

 

"Hm, yes?" The man responds casually, leaning forward as if to listen.

 

"I will ask thee one more time, where is the boy, Jonathan?" He questions, and the man hums.

 

"Jonathan? I-I cannot say I know, cat's got my tongue!" The man laughs a hearty laugh and the woman on the other side of the pyre breaks out into hysterical laughter, the crowd grumbles in uneasy protest.

 

"My darling, chant to your heart's desire!" Brenner declares, and the woman begins to chant in time with the man. They plead for Satan, ritualistically asking for his blessing.

 

"Listen to them not!" The pastor insists, and Isaiah drops Brenner's spell book to cover his ears.

 

"Fools!" Brenner bellows as the book flips open to a page as if the wind had commanded it so. "My ungodly book speaks to you! On All Hallow's Eve when the moon is round, a virgin will summon us from under the ground!" He proclaims with a joyous hiss. "We shall be back! And the lives of all the children, shall be mine!" The man laughs once more and his mistress joins in, the pastor turns his head and gestures for the pyre to be lit.

 

The pyre lights and soon the man and woman are shrieking over the flames as their bodies slowly burn. They all watch in quiet mourning, for both the boys that had perished much too soon. A black cat prowls nearby, yowling at the woman grieving her sons and rubbing up against her leg. She pushes it away with her leg, wiping at her face and turning on her heel to storm away from the flaming pyre in quiet sorrow.

 

The cat watches the bodies be taken away, observes as the villagers disappear back towards their homes, plunging the woods into darkness as the fire fades into nothing but embers.

 

 _It's me,_ he thinks pleadingly into the empty forest, _I'm still here._


	2. The Black Flame Candle

October 28th, 1983

 

"They say that to this day, Jonathan Byers stalks around the Brenner cottage, scaring off anyone who might try to light the candle." Steve says with a small smirk, which drops from his face when Nancy scoffs in disbelief. "What?" He demands, and the girl rolls her eyes.

 

"You seriously don't believe that crap, do you, Steve?" She asks with a shake of her head, picking up her drink and taking a sip from her straw.

 

"Of course I believe it, because it's true!" The older teen insists, and Nancy snorts quietly as Steve pouts.

 

"If it's true then how did the story get out? Jonathan turned into a cat but nobody knew and yet somehow the story got out?" She questions, poking a hole in his story, and Steve scowls. "Besides, magic isn't real, stuff like that is just a bunch of hocus pocus." She waves a hand, picking up a French fry and biting into it.

 

"You're a real buzz-kill, Nance, you know that?" He questions, and she shrugs her shoulders with a small smile. "You really get your rocks off spoiling my good time." He can't help but smile a little himself. "Anyways, I guess you don't want to go see the museum then on Halloween." He huffs, and the younger laughs with a shake of her head.

 

"Sounds too cheesy, let's just stay in and watch a movie." She suggests, and Steve shrugs in casual agreeance. Nancy dips her last fry in ketchup and pops it into her mouth, grabbing a napkin and wiping her hands off. "We should go, I have to watch Mike and his friends while my mom is gone this afternoon." She explains, and Steve nods his head before sipping at his milkshake.

 

"Think your mom will mind an extra babysitter?" He questions with a grin, and the girl rolls her eyes.

 

"If it's you, probably." She snorts as they slip out of the diner booth and Steve drops down money for their food. "Besides, Mike called the TV this afternoon. He's having some girl over from school and he rented a movie and stuff, he's drooling over her." She laughs quietly, and Steve's eyebrows arch in surprise.

 

"Wow, Mikey and a girl. What's her name, some geek in science class with braces and glasses?" He asks with a smirk, Nancy snickers and bats a hand at her arm.

 

"Her name is Elle, she's the chief's new adopted daughter." She explains as they exit the diner and head over to Steve's car, the older teen tilting his head back with a laugh.

 

"Man, that's dangerous. Mike's trying to get his ass kicked by Hopper." He jokes, and Nancy nods her head with a small amused smile. "Well this I have to see, Michael Wheeler trying to put moves on the infamous Elle Hopper." He grins.

 

 

-

 

Elle Hopper is perhaps one of the most mesmerizing people Mike has ever laid eyes on, the second she had stepped into their classroom he had been in a trance. She was obviously slow, had some form of learning disability and didn't talk much, and Mike knew that she would be a target. He introduced himself immediately that first day during lunch, let her sit next to him and his friends.

 

She smiled at him, dimples and all, and hesitantly thanked him. He was a goner the second he saw the happy look on her face, and he knew it. He brings her home with him with permission from his mom and her dad, and he spends the first thirty minutes showing her around. She sees a picture of Nancy and comments that she's pretty, which Mike can't quite understand, but hey it's whatever.

 

"I rented some movies, you said you'd never seen Star Wars..." He explains when they sit down on the couch in the living room, and the girl nods her head with dark brown curls bouncing gracefully. "They're such good movies, you'll love them." He promises, and she smiles before scooting back on the couch and pulling her socked feet up onto the couch to cross her legs.

 

"Okay," She agrees with a smile, and his heart melts just a little as he stands up to grab the tape and put the movie in. Â He pops in Episode IV and then heads back to the couch, getting comfortable next to the girl and smiling nervously when she scoots a little closer.

 

They finish the first movie, Elle spends the last thirty minutes leaned forward in her seat in anticipation. Mike barely sees the film at all to be honest, has already seen it a million times and is too focused on every expression that crosses the girl's face.

 

"Wow," She whispers when the credits begin to roll, and Mike nods his head. "Leia is pretty," She says with a smile, and Mike nods once more in agreement.

 

"You too," He blurts, and when he earns a puzzled look from the girl he can feel his face starting to heat up. "I-I just meant, you're pre-pretty too!" He elaborates, voice going up an octave with anxiety. The girl smiles, obviously pleased, and leans forward to give him a hug. His face is burning hot as he returns the hug, which ends much too quickly when the front door opens.

 

"Mike, I'm home!" Nancy calls from the front hall, and Mike rolls his eyes.

 

"Do you have the jerk alert with you?" He says back, and as a demon is summoned by his title, Steve leans his head in the living room archway with a grin.

 

"Hey Mikey, how's it going?" He asks with a smirk, Mike sighs and sinks back into the couch. "Who's this pretty date of yours, huh?" He steps into the room, Mike's face lighting on fire as Elle leans out to take his offered hand.

 

"Elle," She introduces quietly, and the older chuckles as he lets her hand go.

 

"Nice to meet you, I'm Steve. Whatcha watching?" He turns his head to look at the screen, which is still rolling credits.

 

"Star Wars, can you go now?" Mike asks with a sigh, but his voice goes unheard as Steve turns back to Elle.

 

"Good movies, you know you kinda look like Princess Leia." He says with a point of his finger, Mike watches the girl's eyes sparkle as she smiles. "I think that'll be my new nickname for you, yeah? Princess." He winks at her playfully, clicking his tongue and reaching over to tussle Mike's hair, who shoves the older boy's hand away.

 

"Steve, c'mon." Nancy calls from the hallway, he waves to them before disappearing out of the room.

 

"Who's he?" Elle asks with a frown, looking at Mike.

 

"My sister's... err... Ex-boyfriend?" He shrugs his shoulders, standing up and picking out the next movie. "They dated for a while and now they're friends, I dunno, teenagers are weird." He snorts, the girl nods her head as she stares at the doorway pensively.

 

-

 

"No way, why do I have to take him?!" Nancy objects in horror at the news, watching Mike roll his eyes just behind their mother.

 

"Because I promised the chief that Elle could go with the boys but he doesn't want them running around unsupervised." Her mother explains with an impatient crossing of her arms. "Your father's boss is throwing a Halloween party and for once in my life, I'm going to have a nice time." She insists.

 

"Why can't the chief take them?" Nancy pleads, but her mother simply shakes her head.

 

"It's Halloween, Nancy, he's on duty. Just do this for me, please?" She asks with a tired expression, and Nancy folds.

 

"Fine, but I'm not dressing up." She mutters, stepping past her mother and shoving Mike lightly. "Come get me when your nerdy friends get here." She grumbles, Mike says something under his breath and storms off in the opposite direction. Nancy heads upstairs and calls up Steve.

 

"Yello?" The boy hums when he picks up the phone, the sound of a TV playing in the background.

 

"Steve, I have bad news." She sighs, and Steve returns the noise with a quiet grunt as the sound of the TV grows fainter.

 

"You can't come over," He mutters, and Nancy rubs her forehead.

 

"My mom is making me take the boys and the chief's daughter trick-or-treating," She explains with irritation, and Steve crunches on something.

 

"Don't they usually go by themselves?" He complains, slightly garbled from the food in his mouth.

 

"The chief doesn't want his daughter running around unsupervised with Mike and his twerpy friends. Unfortunately, I can't really blame him, I wouldn't trust them farther than I can throw them." She comments, Steve chuckles quietly and there's the crinkling of a bag.

 

"How about I join you in this pre-pubescent escapade for candy?" Steve offers, and Nancy smiles genuinely.

 

"I couldn't ask you to do that, it's gonna be boring." She warns, and Steve snorts.

 

"Better than sitting at home alone," Steve simpers with a hum, and Nancy nods her head.

 

"All right, then get over here. Lucas, Dustin, and Elle should be here soon." She tells him, and he agrees before hanging up.

 

It doesn't take long until the kids are showing up, and Mike is complaining to go within minutes. Nancy stands and watches them chatter excitedly, Elle watching the boys with bright eyes but staying mostly quiet. The boys had dressed as the Ghostbusters, and Elle was surprisingly Leia from Star Wars. She had on a wig over her short curly hair, and looked quite cute.

 

"Where's your stupid boyfriend, we're gonna miss all the candy!" Dustin whines, Nancy rolls her eyes and pushes off the staircase.

 

"He's not my boyfriend," She insists, and the boys snicker in response, obviously not buying it. It wasn't that she didn't love Steve, of course she did, they were great friends. But after a while, she sort of figured out she wasn't in love with him. Even though it hurt him a little more than it hurt her back then, he seemed to be doing fine nowadays.

 

Mike rushes over to the door at the sound of knocking, yanking it open and rushing past Steve and down onto the sidewalk.

 

"It's about time, let's go!" He snaps, the kids clamoring out behind him and practically knocking Steve over in the process. Nancy snorts at the sight of Steve, the young man wearing an outfit resembling Han Solo.

 

"What the hell are you wearing?" She laughs, and Steve shrugs his shoulders.

 

"I thought it would be fun, don't be a buzz kill." He holds up a blaster and makes a noise like heâ€™s firing it, Nancy laughs. She vaguely wonders how long he's had this costume on hand, because she had never seen it before. It quickly occurs to her that maybe he was planning on going out tonight, and had only cancelled for her. A pang of guilt runs through her, but Steve is smiling brightly despite it all, excited like a kid himself.

 

"Han?" Steve turns to find Elle looking up at him from the sidewalk with a grin on her face.

 

"Yes indeed, princess, at your service." He grins, stepping down the porch and taking a bow. "Ready to go?" He asks, she nods her head. "You like trick-or-treating?" He questions as they walk together, Nancy following behind them.

 

"I've never gone before," She replies, and Steve shoots a concerned look back at Nancy, who shakes her head.

 

"Well, I'm sure you'll have loads of fun. Lots of candy to eat, fun decorations to see, scares to experience." He tells her with a smile, she nods her head.

 

"You're going too slow!" Dustin complains from ahead of them, Nancy rolls her eyes.

 

"This is going to be a long night." She sighs, watching Steve and Elle hurry forward to follow the boys a little closer.

 

-

 

"So what happened to him?" Dustin asks as they walk along the street in a group, Steve's arms slung over Elle and Dustin's shoulders. It was almost nine and they had hit pretty much every house in the general vicinity, so Steve had decided to tell the story of the Brenner house and the disappearance of Jonathan Byers once more.

 

"Who?" Steve mutters, and Dustin glances up at the older boy.

 

"Jonathan, do you think he's still alive?" He questions, and Steve shrugs as if he's never really given it any thought in the first place.

 

"I dunno, maybe." He offers, and Dustin hums.

 

"That's sad," Elle comments, sounding genuinely upset at the idea of it.

 

"It's a bunch of crap is what it is," Mike snorts, rolling his eyes. "None of that stuff is real, it's just a legend." He insists, and Steve arches an eyebrow at him.

 

"Really, Mikey? Legends come from truth, you know." He grins, and Mike glares at him.

 

"An old hermit and his wife probably lived in the cottage, once they died a couple of parents hundreds of years ago made up the story to keep their kids away from the house." He explains easily, and Nancy finds herself nodding along to his theory. "Some dopey teenagers probably heard the story and passed it down to scare their friends, just like you." He waves a hand in dismissal, and Nancy feels genuinely proud of him.

 

"Mike is right, magic and curses aren't real." Lucas agrees, although he doesn't sound too sure, and Nancy nods once more.

 

"You're just non-believers!" Dustin declares, and Elle nods her head.

 

"Magic is real," The girl says with certainty, and Steve smiles.

 

"It seems we have reached an impasse, ladies and gentlemen." The older boy grins, shaking Elle and Dustin by the shoulders before letting them go and sauntering forward. "So let's go see for ourselves huh? I know just where Brenner house is, the old museum shut down a little while back because of spooky happenings." He wiggles his fingers tauntingly for effect.

 

"No way, we still have houses to hit!" Lucas objects, and Mike nods his head hesitantly.

 

"I-It'll be boring," He insists, and Dustin snorts.

 

"Scared, Wheeler?" He asks, taking Elle by the wrist and tugging her over to where Steve stands. The three stand off against Mike, Nancy, and Lucas, who glare back warily. "You want to prove it's not real, then let's go." He urges.

 

"Let's see some magic, Mike." Elle pleads with her friend, clasping her hands together in a begging motion.

 

"Steve's just messing with us, that place is going to be dirty and filled with spiders." He mutters, shaking his head and looking just a bit nervous, yet already starting to fold under the pressure of Elle's whim.

 

"C'mon Steve, let's just finish off and go home." Nancy sighs, and Steve continues to grin childishly.

 

"Sounds like someone is chicken," He teases, making his arms into a wing shape. "Bawk, bawk, bawk." He crows, Dustin and Elle laughing as he struts his legs and flaps his arms like an idiot. "Ba-cawk!" He shrieks, and Nancy steps forward to shove the older boy with a badly hidden smile.

 

"All right, fine, we'll go!" She agrees, Lucas and Mike sigh in agitation while Steve, Elle, and Dustin give a celebratory cheer.

 

-

 

They walk up to the house, which has stone walls that are overgrown with vines and the pathway is old and cracked with moss growing from the splits in the cobbles. The walk luckily wasn't that far from where they were, only about twenty minutes from their location, the kids were complaining halfway there. As soon as they reach it, they all fall eerily quiet, observing the creepy old cottage.

 

"Rumor has it that the grounds are filled with hundreds of bodies that went through Brenner's failed experiments." Steve grins as they step down the sidewalk up to the door.

 

"Oh that's just great," Lucas grumbles as they climb the porch steps up to the door.

 

Steve has to force it open. They creep into the dark house, keeping close to one another as they are slowly swallowed up by the pitch black. Elle leans into Mike and wraps her arm around his, Dustin grabs Lucas by his beltloop. They shuffle further inside, the air smelling like old decaying wood and dust.

 

"There's gotta be a light in here somewhere," Steve says quietly, feeling around the wall. He makes a disgusted noise when his hand hits a cobweb, quickly wiping it off on his pants.

 

"Here," Nancy flips something and the lights flicker to life, revealing the dusty and old-timey cottage. There are all sorts of tools hung on the walls, a cauldron in the middle of the room, placards set up denoting every object's purpose.

 

"Wow," Dustin says in awe, already hurrying forward to get a better look.

 

"Yeah, it's cool right?" Steve grins as the kids hesitantly start to look around.

 

"Cool," Elle echoes, smiling brightly, she makes her way around and frowns down at a glass case. "What's this?" She asks, pressing a finger to the glass, Steve walks over next to her.

 

"Brenner's book of incantations and experiments. It's bound in human skin and written in blood." Steve chuckles darkly, earning wary looks from everyone else. "What can I say? I love a good creepy story." He admits with a smirk, patting Elle's shoulder and stepping away.

 

"The black flame candle," Mike reads from a placard, fingers pressed to the words. "Made from the fat of a hanged man," He grimaces, but almost seems amused.

 

"What's it for?" Lucas asks, stepping closer.

 

"When lit by a virgin on All Hallow's Eve on a full moon, it's supposed to summon spirits from beyond the grave." He snickers, Lucas shakes his head and turns away to look at something else. Nancy steps closer, smirking as she reads the plaque herself.

 

"Well, Steve, you want to prove it... Let's light the candle and meet Brenner and Constance ourselves." She suggests, Steve's eyes widen, an objective group chatter starts up.

 

"No way, Nancy, you've gone mental!" Dustin practically squeaks.

 

"This is how people die in horror movies," Lucas shakes his head.

 

"Not risking it," Mike holds up his hands, turning away. "Let's just go."

 

"Oh come on, Lucas, Mike, don't you want to prove them wrong?" She steps over to a display of lighters, brushing off some of the dust on one and picking it up.

 

"Nance, the kids are right, you don't play with things like this." Steve says warily, looking genuinely pale with fear. Elle is stepping closer to the older boy, taking Mike's hand when he gets closer.

 

"Bad," The girl insists quietly, voice anxious.

 

"Stuff like this is not real!" Nancy assures, flicking the lighter open. There's a loud slam that causes them all to start, everyone's heads turn to see the door wide open with nobody there.

 

"That's a sign, they want us out!" Dustin starts towards the door, Steve quickly pulls Mike and Elle backwards just as something from the loft above them falls and shatters on the floor.

 

"Nancy, we need to go!" Steve snaps, and Nancy turns her head to look up at the loft.

 

"It's a cat, Steve." She points up, to where a black cat is precariously standing on the edge of the loft. "You gonna tell me that's Jonathan Byers next?" She snickers, the lighter flickering to life before she holds it over the wick.

 

"Nancy, don't!" Steve demands, but the wick lights, burning a dark color.

 

The door slams shut and the floorboards start to rumble, Lucas and Dustin race for the door and try to pull on the knob, finding no give. Elle huddles closer to Steve, Mike shuffles in front of the girl and clasps her hand tightly. Nancy steps back from the candle, eyes wide, and suddenly all at once the lights shatter and it falls dark with the sound of everyone's startled screams.

 

"What happened?" Nancy asks softly into the dark.

 

"A virgin... Lit the candle..." Mike says breathlessly, for a moment there's only the creaking of the old house, and they're all starting to relax.

 

"Nancy, you're a virgin?" Dustin questions, the girl huffs in irritation.

 

Nancy opens her mouth to say something when there's a sudden sound of lightning and a flash of light from outside. In place of the bulbs, the candles that were once decoration light with flames as if they were actual wax and wick. In a consecutive row, one by one they flicker to life, and there's a sound of two people laughing from outside. Footsteps tromp up the wooden steps and they all freeze in panic, shooting wide eyed expressions at one another helplessly. Steve waves his hand in a sort of 'scatter' gesture. 

 

"Shit!" Dustin grabs Lucas by the arm and they dive behind the cashier's counter, Steve ushers Elle and Mike into the shadows behind a wall, Nancy ducks down behind a large display case. The front door bangs open, footsteps clattering inside without hesitation.

 

"We're back!" A man cheers, and the woman he's with titters with delight. "My curse worked, I told you didn't I?" He chuckles darkly as the smaller of the two walks hurriedly across the room.

 

"But who lit the black flame candle?" She questions hesitantly, and they're quiet for a long moment.

 

"Someone either extremely dim-witted or extremely brave," The man offers with a laugh, Mike meets Nancy's eyes from across the room and shoots her a look, she scowls at him. â€œIs someone... hiding...?" There's a thump and then Dustin is stammering, Steve leans around the wall to peer out at them. Dustin and Lucas are bunched tightly together, eyes round with fear and mouths hanging partially open.

 

The man before them is wearing a cloak, hair shaggy and almost white gray, almost an entire foot taller than the boys. He towers over them easily, Steve's eyes twitch over to the woman standing nearby, her eyes alight with excitement. She herself wears a similar cloak atop an old-timey brown dress that cascades down to the floor and swallows up her frame. She brushes a grayish gold strand of her hair away from her eyes and grins as the man gets even closer to the boys.

 

"We're just on our way out, got lost, tried to light a candle. Who knew it'd summon some dead people? Well, you're welcome, we should go!" He tries to reach for the door, Lucas right behind him, only for the tall older man to cut them off with a sidestep in a smile.

 

"So soon? Won't you stay, boys?" The woman purrs, and Lucas squeaks quietly.

 

"W-We really have to go," He explains. "Our moms will be looking for us." He reaches for the door, gasping quietly when the man grabs his wrist and then takes hold of the collar of Dustin's jumpsuit.

 

"Hey!" Mike shouts, revealing himself before Elle or Steve can snag him back into the dark.

 

"Another one!" The woman says, eyes glimmering as she steps a little closer to the boy.

 

"Get your old man hands off of my friends, you piece of shit." Mike insists, stepping forward with his fists clenched. Steve gestures for Elle to stay put while he sneaks around the room, crouched down and crawling on his hands and feet as quietly as possible. 

 

"Thou are most disrespectful," The man says with a click of his tongue, Mike scoffs.

 

"I'll get over it, let them go." He demands, and the man hums quietly. Steve slips between display cases and narrowly avoids ramming his shoulder into the wood of the wall when he presses against it. He takes in a few steady breaths, slowly getting to his feet and keeping in the shadows under the loft overhang. 

 

"I don't think I shall," The older man says with a soft chuckle, the boys begin to struggle against his grip. Steve grabs onto a pan hanging on the wall and steps up behind the man, slams the metal instrument against the back of his head.

 

"Run!" Steve commands, holding up the pan defensively.

 

The boys take off across the room, Mike pulling them into a protective hug. The man staggers and grips a hand to the back of his head and turns to glare at Steve. He casts a hand out and it's like a punch to the teen's chest, he falls back and tumbles backwards across the floor in a rough movement, slamming against the wall behind him. He pulls in a ragged gasp, the wind knocked out of him.

 

"Steve!" The boys shout, Nancy and Elle are out in the open. Steve can't move suddenly, feeling like his hands are pinned to the floor and his back is glued to the wall. His heart pounds loudly in his ears and he wonders if anyone else can hear it too.

 

"I believe I know who to use on our next experiment, Connie." The man says quietly, voice low and angry as he approaches. "Perhaps something painful and lasting." He smiles chillingly.

 

As if summoned, a small black blur leaps from somewhere and latches onto the man's shoulder. He shouts in alarm, turning and throwing what Steve now realizes is the black cat from earlier. The man grunts and tries to kick the cat, which quickly scatters out of the way and disappears again. Nancy and Mike try to step forward, only to have Brenner flick a finger at them and they both tumble backwards into Dustin and Lucas.

 

"You're Martin Brenner," Steve murmurs, and the man turns to him with a smirk a small bow.

 

"The one and only," He grins with malicious delight. "Constance, get my book." He says quietly, and the woman steps over to the glass case to open the latch. She pulls out the old book, smiling as she does so, and starts to walk over. Elle rushes forward, escaping Mike's grab for her, standing in front of Steve. The man sneers at her, like the mere sight of the girl disgusted her.

 

"Leave. Him. Alone." She demands softly, the man gives a deep throated laugh and feigns wiping a tear from his eye.

 

"Isn't that darling, standing up for her big brother." He says, the woman giggles.

 

"Adorable." She agrees, and Martin's head jerks suddenly when something flies into his temple. He grunts, turning his head and looking at the children behind him accusingly. They all look stunned themselves, shrugging, he turns his eyes back to Elle with the same accusatory glare.

 

"Clever little white witch, aren't you?" He hisses at Elle, who casts a hand out towards the woman nearby, Connie is forcibly thrown across the room like a ragdoll with a scream.

 

"Damn you!" He reaches out and Elle scatters backwards, tripping over Steve's feet and falling into his lap. He screams suddenly, shaking out his leg as the returning black cat attempts to evade his angry kicks. It bats at the man's leg with sharp claws, hissing and yowling with anger, as if trying to protect them.

 

"Run for it!" Dustin takes off for the door, the others behind him. Martin suddenly tips backwards over a display case with a yelp and Elle gets to her feet before reaching back to pull Steve up. They both still when the black cat steps onto his legs, tail twitching vigorously.

 

"Get the book!" Both of their eyes widen, Steve's mouth drops open.

 

"You can talk," He says quietly, in awe.

 

"Book, now!" The cat insists, and Elle moves to grab the book off of the floor as Martin starts to get up and Connie begins to regain her wits. The remaining kids race out of the cottage and slam the door behind them, Steve takes Elle's hand and they run down the sidewalk with the cat leading them.

 

Steve and Elle catch up with Nancy, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas in a few minutes, Nancy catching their attention by leaning out from a dark alley corner and waving them over. They rush into the darkness, everyone out of breath and stunned at the events having just taken place. Steve turns his head and takes the book from Elle, starting to unbuckle the clasp.

 

"What the hell is going on?" Nancy demands in agitation, Steve rolls his eyes and balances the book on his arm as he grabs the cover. He lets out a startled scream when the cat jumps onto his shoulder, but quickly realizes that the magical talking feline isn't trying to hurt him.

 

"Don't even think about it," The cat warns him, and the other half of the group's eyes widen at the voice. Dustin squints his eyes and leans forward, Lucas glances around searching for the source of the voice. Steve jerks his shoulder and the cat jumps down, making a low rumbling growl of a noise.

 

"He talks," Mike mutters with disbelief, and Elle crouches down to pet the cat. The black creature's ears go back and he stoops low in an attempt to get out of being touched, but allows the petting nonetheless when the girl persists.

 

"You're Jonathan," The girl says quietly, and the cat makes an inhuman purr before slipping out of her reach. Steve can't take his eyes off the young girl, who just quite possibly used magic of her own to defend them.

 

"D-Did you do that?" Steve murmurs, and the girl looks up at him with a small frown.

 

"This is crazy, there's no way that all of this stuff is real. Steve, what the hell kind of prank is this?" Nancy snaps, and Steve runs a hand through his hair as he drops the book to his side.

 

"Nancy, my underwear is damp with piss. If this is a prank, it's not me." He promises, shifting uncomfortably as the others step back from him. The cat- Jonathan, he supposes -steps closer and leans against his leg.

 

"This isn't a joke, you just brought back one of the evilest men ever." He explains, and Nancy shakes her head, bringing up her hands to touch her temples as she turns around to walk away.

 

"Awesome, a talking cat from the 15th century." Dustin laughs quietly, Mike shoves him slightly and Elle smiles just a little.

 

"No, not awesome. Martin Brenner was a completely creepy dude, he not only sucked the youth from children he committed crimes against humanity." Steve insists, trying not to startle when Jonathan slips through his legs and starts to trot away.

 

"Your friend is right, come with me, I have to show you something." They all start walking after the cat, Steve glances back at Nancy, whose still standing on the sidewalk looking seconds away from a mental breakdown.

 

"Nance, c'mon." He calls, and the girl shakes her head before storming forward reluctantly.


	3. Alakazam

Jonathan leads them to a graveyard, the group shuffling along together through the old graves. The ground is beginning to deform from the pressure of growing tree roots, even the graves are starting to shift and become crooked. Jonathan leaps up onto a grave, balancing on the headstone.

 

“Here lies Billy Hargrove, lost soul.” Lucas reads aloud when they approach the old as dirt grave, death labelled sometime in 1683.

 

“Billy was the son of the butcher in our village, he had a taste for violence. Unfortunately for him, he ran into the wrong side of Connie Frasier.” The cat leaps off of the grave and does a strange little circle, almost pacing, it’s an odd sight.  “He disappeared after he insulted her, and nobody could prove it but they found his body in the creek a few days later. His chest was torn open and his mouth was sewn shut.” Jonathan says quietly.

 

“This is why we don’t go to old creepy houses!” Lucas exclaims suddenly, making half of them jump. “We’re gonna get killed by a psychopath from the 1600’s!” He runs a hand over his hair and shakes his head, pointing off towards the entrance of the graveyard. “I want to go home, we need to go.” He insists.

 

“Lucas,” Dustin objects, and Nancy raises a hand.

 

“No, you guys. We are not fighting a murdering sorcerer, we are going home.” She insists, a few of them begin to object.

 

“We can’t just leave the guy walking around here!” Dustin argues, Nancy shoots him a glare and sighs in agitation.

 

“Let the police handle it, okay? I promised my mom I’d get Mike and Elle home by nine-thirty.” She grabs Mike by his jumpsuit collar and gestures to Elle, who frowns and starts to follow.

 

“N-No! We can’t just…” Steve looks to Dustin with wide eyes, who shrugs his shoulders as Lucas goes to follow Nancy, Mike, and Elle. “Fuck,” They watch the four exit the graveyard, leaving only Dustin, Steve, and Jonathan.

 

“Your girlfriend is a real charmer, you know that?” Jonathan says with aggravation, and Dustin laughs quietly.

 

“She’s not my girlfriend,” He argues weakly, sinking down to sit on a nearby rock. “What are we going to do?” He asks, watching Dustin reach out to pet Jonathan and sighs as the cat dances out of the way to avoid it.

 

“That little girl could have come in handy, she’s strong.” Jonathan offers, and Steve shakes his head.

 

“That’s a no-go, dude.” He drops his chin on his fist, glaring down at the moss under his feet. “She’s just a kid.” He says, and they’re all quiet for a moment, probably at the realization that Dustin and Steve are kids as well. Even Jonathan in a cruel twist of fate, is a child, in a way.

 

“We could find something to send them back,” Dustin reaches for the book in Steve’s hands and suddenly Jonathan is there, hissing and batting a clawed paw at the boy. “Jesus!” He drops back into the dirt, eyes wide.

 

“You never open that book, hear me?” Jonathan insists, turning and starting to weave through the graves. Steve stands up and follows him, watching him settle down against a large headstone near the edge of the graveyard. Steve crouches down, reading the old carved letters.

 

**In Memory of Jonathan and William Byers, brothers in life and death.**

**Jonathan Byers                                     William Byers**

**1667-?                                             1671-1683**                                                                              

 

“They called her crazy, you know.” Jonathan says quietly, his tail swishing sadly as he lays down. “My mother.” He adds, and Steve shakes his head. “I visited her, at our cottage in the village. She figured out it was me, but nobody believed her.” He admits, and Steve’s eyes widen as he sinks down to sit at the edge of the grave.

 

“Why didn’t you talk?” Steve questions, and Jonathan makes an irritated noise.

 

“I didn’t know how, took me a couple decades to learn.” He says forlornly, resting his head on his paws. “She fell ill a few years after it all happened, the local doctor threw me from the house and said I was a curse. The local kids chased me out of the village with rocks. They buried her not far from here, but the grave’s been damaged.” He says softly.

 

“That story is far more depressing than the spooky Halloween version of it,” He offers weakly, and Jonathan makes a noise that sounds vaguely like a laugh.

 

“Truth isn’t always better than fiction,” The cat gets to its feet, and Steve reaches out his hand hesitantly. Jonathan sniffs his fingertips and then ducks his head to butt it against Steve’s palm. He wonders what Jonathan has spent his days doing up until this point, wandering around aimlessly in life but never straying far from the place where his entire life was stolen from him.

 

“Steve!” He turns his head to find Dustin racing through the graves with Lucas at his side, both of their faces grim and panicked.

 

“What, what’s going on? Where’s everyone?” He demands, getting to his feet.

 

“Brenner took them!” Lucas gets out, panting breathlessly. Dustin starts to pull on his arm, Steve dips down to pick up Jonathan. The cat scrambles sideways and presses his paws to Steve’s chest to balance himself properly as they hurry towards the entrance.

 

“Took who?!” Steve exclaims, spotting Nancy standing at the gate looking distraught.

 

“They’re gone, Steve… I-I couldn’t…” She shakes her head, tense and anxious. “The man, he grabbed Elle an-and the woman grabbed Mike.” Steve steps out of the graveyard and glances left to right, not seeing any sign of them.

 

“They’re taking them back to the house.” Jonathan says, claws pricking through Steve’s shirt just barely. “He’ll kill them, in the best circumstances, quickly.” He provides, Steve looks to the others with concern.

 

“We have to go back,” Lucas says with certainty, and Nancy shakes her head.

 

“We need to tell the Chief!” She argues, Dustin rolls his eyes.

 

“Oh yeah, Chief, your daughter got taken by a three-hundred-year-old murderer, come quick!” He snaps, Nancy scowls and turns to Steve for the final decision. He can feel Jonathan’s tail swishing against him anxiously, his arm firmly around the cat’s body. He has a moment where he wishes he’d never even heard of the story of Jonathan Byers.

 

“Nancy, take the boys and go get the Chief… Jonathan and I will go to back to the house.” He decides, Nancy shakes his head and Dustin immediately shouts his objection.

 

“No way, you’re not sticking us as backup!” He whines, Steve shoots him a glare.

 

“Go, hurry… We’ve got this.” He promises Nancy, who nods her head with a quiet sigh and leans up to press a kiss to his cheek.

 

“Be safe,” She warns, and then she’s dragging the boys out of the cemetery.

 

“Not your girlfriend, huh?” Jonathan says teasingly, the young man scowls in mild irritation.

 

Steve drops the cat unceremoniously and tries to kick at him. Jonathan leaps out of reach and starts walking across the road without hurry. Steve’s breath catches in his throat when a car turns the corner suddenly, he freezes up but manages to speak out, if not too late.

 

“Jonathan!” He shouts, the cat disappears under the car with a thud. Steve’s mouth drops open in horror as the car keeps going, leaving behind a flattened cat. “Oh Jesus,” He hurries onto the road where the immobile creature lays, his entire abdomen fully squished flat. “Shit, it’s my fault.” He whispers, dropping down onto his knees and reaching out gently to touch the cat.

 

A gasping noise and the sudden revitalization to Jonathan’s furry little body makes him drop back onto his ass in surprise. The cat sits up, Steve stares with wide eyes as he gets to his feet, tail swishing as he shakes his head.

 

“I hate it when that happens,” He looks to Steve, mouth still agape. “O-Oh I forgot to mention, I can’t die.” He offers nonchalantly, and Steve has the urge to strangle the cat just for putting him through this whole ordeal. He barely refrains himself from doing so by reminding himself that it would just earn him cat scratches and a pissed off magical talking cat.

 

“That would have been nice to know!” He snaps, the cat doesn’t falter or lean away, simply turns his head and starts walking towards the direction of the cottage.

 

“Well now you know.” He replies nonchalantly, leaving Steve standing in the road with emotional whiplash. Steve lets out a frustrated scoff and follows behind the cat reluctantly, set on finding Mike and Elle.

 

-

 

Mike knew it was his fault they got captured, he had let his guard down and the second someone had taken hold of him, Elle was at their mercy. His legs dangle unceremoniously from his position, Connie passing by every so often and grabbing his foot so that the tiny cage he’s been forced into spins in a circle.

 

Elle is tied down by her wrists and ankles on a table, promptly blindfolded, as Brenner dances around gathering menacing looking objects. Mike watches in horror as the man cleans an old knife, eyes alight with excitement as he sets it down on a tray next to the table Elle is displayed on.

 

“Son of a bitch!” He says as he’s spun around once more, feeling dizzy. “You know Elle’s dad is a cop, he’s going to come in here and fill you with lead.” He insists as he stops spinning, glaring at the man below him, who stares up at him with vague curiosity.

 

“A cop, explain.” He insists with a wave of his hand, Mike clenches his jaw.

 

“A cop, like a witch hunter. He’ll have your heads before you can even cast a spell.” He promises, and the man’s eyes narrow slightly.

 

“A witch hunter with a witch for a daughter?” He questions, then scoffs. “Preposterous. Seems this one is a little liar.” He laughs quietly, reaching out to brush his fingers over one of Elle’s arms.

 

“Don’t touch her, I’ll kill you!” He snaps, the man grins up at him with amusement.

 

“Young love is so beautiful, isn’t it, Constance?” The man asks, the woman below Mike titters happily.

 

“Adorable, my love.” She pulls herself up onto the cashier’s counter and adjusts the ruffles in her dress, a smirk on her face.

 

“What a couple of freaks,” Mike grumbles with his cheeks blushing automatically, dropping his head against one of the bars of the cage. He watches the sorcerer continue to gather terrifying tools, ingredients that didn’t look like he picked them up from the story, and then stop in his tracks.

 

“Without my book I can’t create any of my potions, we’ll have to go after those children and get it.” He explains to Connie, who hums in agreement.

 

“Of course, darling.” She says easily, and Brenner looks vaguely pleased before turning his head with a small frown. “Something the matter?” She questions, the man gives a dismissive wave of his hand and turns back to his tools.

 

“Thought I heard something,” He says quietly, already distracted by a pair of archaic looking pliars.

 

“Get away from the girl, Brenner.” They all startle at the voice, Mike has to twist in the small cage to spot Steve where he stands in the loft with a metal rod in one hand and a bag of something in his other hand.

 

“You again?” Brenner says with agitation, teeth gritted together.

 

“Yeah, don’t cream your pants.” He grins, reaching into the bag and throwing something down. It explodes with a poof of white smoke, Brenner lets out a startled yell and scrambles back.

 

“Sorcerer!” He shouts with a point of his hands, Steve throws another one of the things, it lights up red this time. It’s magicians smoke, looks like the little things that Dustin had used in his magic act when they were ten. No doubt Steve had stopped at the magic shop the next block over before returning, Mike had to admit the guy had his moments.

 

The cat leaps down from the loft and onto Brenner, who staggers back and struggles as the cat digs in its claws and yowls loudly. Steve crouches and then swings himself down, knocking Connie over into a display case in the process, she screams. Steve makes it to the table and pulls off one of Elle’s restraints, then turns to head over to the cage where Mike is hanging.

 

“Jonathan Byers, thou mangy feline!” Brenner snarls as he knocks the cat away, claw marks on his face and hair disheveled. Steve pulls Mike down from the cage just as Elle finishes untying herself, slipping off the table and hurrying over to the two. Mike and Elle embrace each other in a tight hug, Steve watches Jonathan circle the floor.

 

“Martin Brenner, uglier by the minute!” Jonathan quips back, leaping up onto a table to avoid getting grabbed by the man. “Bet you regret cursing me, don’t you?” He demands, sauntering across the tabletop as Steve backs the kids towards the door.

 

“Not so fast!” Connie waves a hand and a cabinet falls sideways, effectively blocking the front door. “We are not finished here.” She insists, just as Brenner grabs hold of Jonathan by the scruff of his neck and hauls him into the air with a feline shriek.

 

“Where is the book?” Brenner questions, grabbing a rusty knife and sticking it under the cat’s neck.

 

“Let him go!” Steve demands, holding up the rod like a bat as he pushes the kids behind him. “I’ll beat your ass, I swear to God.” He snarls, gripping the metal tight.

 

“How darling.” Connie sweeps her hand again and Steve is flung sideways, into another cabinet, the glass shattering and falling onto his head in tiny shards.

 

“Steve!” Mike shouts, his hand finding Elle’s and squeezing tightly.

 

“Bad man.” Elle mutters, and with the faint creak of the metal chandelier, it crashes down atop Martin’s head. The cat takes off over to Steve alongside the children, as Connie races to Martin’s aid.

 

“You’re magic,” Mike whispers, Elle nods her head silently as they help Steve to his feet, who only looks slightly dazed.

 

“Run, c’mon!” Jonathan starts to lead them towards the back, when the cat is hit with a large crate that slams him against a wall.

 

“Jonathan!” Elle screams, obviously concerned.

 

“He’s okay, he’s alive.” Steve pushes the crate out of the way and picks up the limp cat into his arms, grabbing hold of the fire alarm and pulling it. The alarm begins to blare, and the sprinklers quickly start to go off, they race out of the house. As they move around to the front, Steve leans over and grabs the spell book from between an old ladder and the weeds.

 

“Back to the graveyard!” Mike insists, and they take off down the road, not looking back.

 

-

 

“It’s ten past,” Jim greets them at the door, looking mildly peeved as he observes Nancy warily. His eyebrows furrow as he notes a significant lack of his daughter amongst the group, and the tears in the teen’s eyes make him feel suddenly uneasy. “Where’s Elle?” He demands, the girl stammers as the two boys with her begin to stammer incoherently.

 

“A sorcerer from the 1600’s and his girlfriend kidnapped her and my little brother.” She explains, and a laugh is forced from Hopper’s lips in disbelief. “Chief, please, your daughter is in danger.” She pleads.

 

“I’m really not in the mood for games, is she back at your place or something? If you wanted an extra hour to watch movies, you really should have just called.” He turns away and slams the door behind him, leaving the kids shouting objections at the barrier.

 

“We have to get back to the house, Steve is gonna get murdered.” Dustin says with a shake of his head, already rushing down the sidewalk. Lucas quickly races off behind him, seeming suddenly prepared to fight for his friends.

 

Nancy offers one more glance at the Chief’s door before following the boys, Steve was gonna get killed if they didn’t help.

 

-

 

“He got hit by a car, and he came back.” Steve argues from the ground as he still holds the lifeless cat in his arms, his knees pulled up to create a protective barrier. “He doesn’t die, he said so!” He insists, even as the two kids look at him warily.

 

Elle picks up the spell book from the ground, Mike observing her warily and offering a small glance to where Steve was petting the cat with a small frown on his face. He couldn’t look for too long, it seemed like Steve was going to cry and it was starting to creep him out.

 

“Jonathan said not to open it,” Mike mutters under his breath as they take a few steps away and Elle starts to pry the leather buckle open.

 

“He saved us,” She murmurs, pulling open the book and slowly dropping onto the ground. The pages are old and yellow with age, the writing is brown, and the memory of the spells of it being written in blood makes him sick. Elle starts to flip through the pages, Mike sits down next to her and looks over her shoulder as they search through the book.

 

“What are you looking for?” He questions, she shrugs her shoulders and flips another page, pausing. Mike follows her eyes to the scrawled writing, and then her finger when she points.

 

“Resurrection spell, think it’ll work?” He whispers, she shrugs and sighs. “Have you ever done a spell before?” He asks, she shakes her head. “Maybe we shouldn’t,” He says nervously, but Elle’s stern glare causes him to fold. She didn’t speak very much but she still had him wrapped around her finger. “All right, go ahead.” He allows, blushing slightly when the girl reaches over to grab his hand for reassurance.

 

“Lost little soul… Long since dead… Deep asleep in…. in…” She looks to Mike in frustration.

 

“Thy… Deep asleep in thy wormy bed.” He reads for her, she nods her head.

 

“Lost little soul, long since dead. Deep asleep in thy wormy bed.” She reads stiltedly, following the words with her finger. “Awaken your soul, return to the e-earth?” She looks to Mike with a frown, he nods his head reassuringly. “Return to the earth. I b-beckon you back to this mortal… h-hearth?” She scrunches up her nose, Mike nods once more.

 

They both look over at Steve, who is now settling the cat on the ground, sitting on his knees dejectedly in front of it and petting its motionless body. Elle sighs and Mike pats her shoulder, she starts to flip through the book once more.

 

“Maybe we should just let it go,” He suggests, she shakes her head again and turns another page. She lets out a soft gasp and points, Mike follows her line of sight and smiles a little. “Shape-shifting spell… M-Maybe?” He shrugs, and she starts to shift through different shape-shifting spells before landing on the return spell.

 

“Thy sentence has been paid, thy curse must be no more. Take this creature and return them human once more.” She reads, rather well this time around, and suddenly there’s a soft gasp. They both turn their heads and find Jonathan, still in cat form, standing to his feet slowly.

 

“God I hate that,” He grumbles, stumbling around, letting out a yowl of complaint when Steve scoops him up into a hug.

 

“I thought you were dead for real, man!” Steve laughs squeezing the cat, and then suddenly, he’s not a cat. Elle and Mike blink for a brief second, and the cat is a young man kneeling naked in the dirt leaned into Steve’s arms. His hair is a shaggy length, sandy blonde, and his body is pale and has quite a few scars on it.

 

“Holy shit!” Mike cheers, just as Elle covers her eyes. Dustin and Lucas race into the graveyard before sliding to a stop a few feet away, Nancy close behind them as Steve releases Jonathan in shock and the boy falls back in his own surprise.

 

“Oh my god,” Nancy says, smacking a hand over her own eyes, Jonathan gets up on wobbly legs and leans against an old tree. He observes his hand, wiggles his fingers, Steve gets to his feet with his mouth gaping.

 

“You’re human,” Steve says breathlessly, and then suddenly Nancy is smacking him in the shoulder.

 

“Put your jacket around his waist or something before we all go blind.” She hisses, Steve quickly strips off his jacket and steps forward.

 

“Sorry dude, we’ll get you some real clothes soon.” He promises, wrapping the jacket around Jonathan’s hips and letting it drape down so there’s less of him to see. Jonathan still hadn’t said a word, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open like he had a lot to say but no ability to say it.

 

“Are you okay?” Nancy’s attention is now on Mike and Elle, the two kids nodding their heads easily. Elle drops the book down behind her, it falls shut, but not locked.

 

“What the hell are we supposed to do with a teenager from the 1600’s?” Dustin inquires in the pause of silence that follows, and everyone’s eyes are back on Jonathan.

 

The young man is standing awkwardly, looking unsteady on two feet and still leaning against a tree. His arms were wrapped around himself, probably freezing in the fall air. Elle suddenly moves, stepping over to Jonathan and taking off her sweater, throwing it over Jonathan’s shoulders like an afghan and pulling it together to clasp one of the buttons closed.

 

“It’ll be okay,” She smiles, like it’s something she’s heard before and now echoes back to the young man. He still looks to be in shock, but his lips twitch, and Mike thinks that if he hadn’t been a cat so long he might have smiled.


End file.
